


Naruto-Universe: Character One-Shots

by takaanamy



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, In Character, M/M, Sad, Sad and Happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27524014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takaanamy/pseuds/takaanamy
Summary: Thoughts and conversations which the Naruto characters may or may not have had. The one-shots are mostly one scenes where you will get to read about their thougth process and feelings they are trying to digest, memories that resurface.The Naruto Universe of course belongs to Kishimoto. I don't own any rights to the characters.
Relationships: Jiraiya/Tsunade (Naruto), Katou Dan/Tsunade, Sarutobi Asuma/Yuuhi Kurenai, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 4





	1. Lonely Nights

**Author's Note:**

> What Sasuke might have thought about while having a sleepless night.

He would have never guessed. _Could_ have never guessed. That he was actually able to miss that person.  
Yes, he had been lonely before. After all he had lost his entire family, his entire clan. The Uchiha Clan had been wiped out in a mater of couple of moments. No one had seen it coming; the most promising of them all had turned sides and massacred friends and family, people he had grown up with within the blink of an eye. _Uchiha Itachi_. That name left a sour taste in his mouth. He was the one and only reason he had come here. He was sure, it was his destiny to kill that man. His own brother. It wasn’t for fun and right now everything seemed to be screaming at him whether he was in his right mind. This place reeked of snakes and rot. Death was lurking behind every corner and the atmosphere was so very hostile. Hadn’t he been cold before, he has surely become it by now. Showing any other emotion than anger and sheer hatred in front of his new master would be a certain death sentence.  
  
Tonight was different. Usually the hard bed never kept him from finding sleep but tonight all the tossing and turning did no good. His mind was wandering and rattling, bringing back memories from a recent past that he tried so hard to keep locked away. He couldn’t let them take over. Otherwise his walls might crumple and he would never attain the power he seeked for so badly. He had to get through with this. That’s what his family would have wanted. What Itachi had failed to be was now his destiny and to start that journey he had to first get revenge. For the clan, for Uchiha and what his name stood for.  
  
Power. A sigh left his lips when he reminisced his last fight with his comrade. It had been all about power. Always. Why was it that he had been able to develop so much faster than himself? He had trained all his life to be the best, to be at the top. When he had seen how powerful the other one had become without putting in even half the effort and time something had snapped. He himself should have been the one to lead the team, save the others. How could it have happened that he was the one who needed saving in the end?  
  
His former teacher had almost convinced him to get over his grief and pain. Looking back he felt foolish for even considering Kakashi's words. His hurting was what kept him alive, his will to become even stronger.  
  
Valley of the end. The thought almost made him chuckle. How very fitting the setting had been. It had indeed been the end. The end of their comradery and any other connection they’d made.  
But why was it that he hadn’t been able to take the final step? Orochimaru’s mark had helped him have the other boy lying unconscious on the ground, even with his unusual chakra nature. He had been so close, yet something had stopped him. Was it perhaps the rain pouring down on them as if the sky had been crying for a lost friendship? Or had he been to weak? Maybe he had been blinded by the never ending determination of the other one. After all, he could have simply let him walk away, still he had wanted to convince him to come back to Konoha so adamantly.  
  
Suddenly an image flooded his mind which should have been erased long ago and made his cheeks turn red. The other boy hovering slightly above him, squatting on his desk, losing balance and being pushed right into his own face. He hated to admit it but that had actually been his first kiss. Not that it had meant a lot but the memory certainly would remain with him forever.  
His heart felt heavy when he turned again, slightly adjusting his position. That boy was certainly something else. And maybe, after all this, they could make ends meet again.  
  
 _Our fight isn’t over yet, Uzumaki Naruto._


	2. The Drinking Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade visits a bar in hopes to drown her thoughts.

She wasn’t sure when this all had started. Many decades ago the first drop of liquor had touched her tongue and ever since she hadn’t been able to cut ties with this so very tempting drug. At first everything had been fun and games. Until it hadn’t been.

 _Life has surely taken a toll on me_ , she thought bitterly, swallowing another gulp of the golden liquid. She felt sick to the stomach and quickly snatched the whole bottle in front of her instead of using the tiny cup beside it. This night was not meant to dwell on sombre thoughts, in fact that was the very reason she was now seated here instead of finishing signing off that pile of documents that was neatly sitting on her desk. _Oh, Shizune, what would I do without you_. It had been her who had arranged all those papers, the stacks now patiently waiting for her to set her sign as head of the village. She knew she was unbelievably lucky to call such an amazing woman her friend. Yet still, tonight a heaviness had weighed down her heart. Even the bubbly Shizune hadn’t been able to keep her mind focused. And she knew exactly why that was the case.

A sigh escaped her mouth as her grip on the bottle neck tightened. She bit down on her lip, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Her breathing quickened and she felt the aching of her heart, screaming at her with each and every beat. She took another long sip, taking her time to feel the burning sensation and trying to force back the memories. It wasn’t fair. It seemed as if her own mind was working against her, reminding her of all those painful events that had marked her. Every time she hoped it would be the last time; but each time all of her hopes were shredded to pieces and another heartbreak added to her long list. Was this the price she had to pay for choosing the life of a Shinobi?

 _Nawaki…Dan…Jiraiya…_ nowadays she even missed Orochimaru. She remembered all too well how she had died a little inside when she had received the news of Nawaki's death. A numbness had taken over and her body had been shaking, heart filled with fear. He had been so, _so_ young, her baby brother. She still remembered how he had looked up at her, the fulfilling promise of hope shining in his eyes. He had never been able to keep up his promise.  
  
That was the first time she had experienced such an unbearable pain but it wasn’t meant to be the last heartbreak. Around that time was when she had started this game. Whenever she felt like giving in to the pain and letting herself being consumed by darkness she would drink until her mind was clouded and stayed silent. Whether it worked was always a gamble but she had enough experience with gambling in and with life itself.  
  
She had been in a dark place after Nawaki's passing. Sure, her teammates had tried to pull her back and to get her to get a grip back on life but it hadn’t been easy. She had somehow felt left alone, a void gaping in her heart, waiting to be fed with more of life’s most bitter moments. Still, she was a fighter. And she had decided that enough people had given their life on the battlefield. With a new found motivation she had taken matters into her own hands and worked on finding a better system for the medical field. Around that time _he_ had stepped into her life: Dan had been one of the first to listen to her ideas. She had never been in love before but Dan had given her something back that she had lost along her way of a Shinobi. The promise of a better future. He had certainly sparked something inside of her and her wounded heart had been reminded of childish hopes only few were lucky to bring into adulthood. Even now she often caught herself longing for a future with Dan by her side. But then she was reminded of the tears streaming down her scared face, mixing with the cold rain while she tried so desperately not to lose him. All that blood which had covered her beloved Dan. _All that blood_.  
With his death she had buried all the love she had to give to the world.  
  
Or at least she had thought so.  
When she saw Jiraiya again after so many years, she hadn’t been in a particularly good mood. Her plan had been to leave her past behind and move on. Maybe one day she would have been able to get drunk enough to permanently forget all the pain. Seeing her former comrade again, with whom she had fought so many battles side by side, had for sure left a displeasing taste on her tongue. And his request had been ridiculous. Her, taking the place everyone she had ever loved had wanted so badly? But Naruto had convinced her that this might be a sign. His determination had reminded her what Nawaki and Dan would have wanted her to do. She had found inspiration in their dreams they had left behind for her to fulfill.  
  
Being a Hokage had definitely not been easy. It was never the job she had asked for, still she tried doing her best. People talking, the elders constantly criticising her each and every action, failures she was held responsible for. But somehow it had all made sense. Life had a meaning again and being surrounded by friends who respected her more than she had in the past years gave her hope. Maybe, after all the indecision, she had found her way back to a rightful Shinobi life?  
  
And then life had decided to challenge her to yet another game.  
She hadn’t wanted him to go. Instead, she had been on the brink of prohibiting him to leave the village. To leave her. But that idiot had been stubborn as always, in his own way. He had wanted her to gamble with him, knowing very well how to comfort her. _You always lose anyways. You bet that I die_. It was one of the few times she had won a bet.  
He had smiled at her as she had been crying. They both had known. She still had that image of him in mind, walking down the path, leaving the village as the colours of twilight had surrounded him. It had seemed so surreal, day and night clashing together as they both had all their lives long. And suddenly, everything else had seemed so trivial. The past, the future, her duties as head of the village. All she had wanted to do was follow him, be beside him when he needed her most. But she had known that wasn’t his wish. He had wanted her to do better, to lead the people of Konoha into a future where everyone would understand each other. That had been his wish he had left behind. She was sure, his student would find a way to achieve his masters dreams. And Jiraiya had left her behind to make sure to provide the right path for the next generation.  
But on nights like this she questioned everything. Had it been the right call to stay back? Maybe he would be here with her instead, contesting her on who could hold their liquor. Of course, she’d win.  
  
Her vision got blurry and it wasn’t because of the alcohol. She took one more sip, larger than the last one when she noticed that the bottle was empty. This was a never ending game.  
  
“Tsunade-sama! There you are!”  
  
Shizune appeared beside her, taking a quick glance at her. She lowered her gaze, feeling the forming tears threatening to spill. Sniffling, she turned away and tried to find her composure. Surely, the other woman was fast to notice the state the Hokage was in and gently removed the empty bottle from her hand.  
  
“Sakura and the girls are having a night-out. I thought, we might surprise them and show up?”, she asked gently and helped her out of her chair. She nodded, not trusting her voice yet.  
As they were walking in the cold night and Shizune was rambling on to keep the conversation going, the darkness clouding her mind vanished slowly.  
  
“They sure are lucky, huh? We better work on keeping life like this for them, even with the war coming. After all, that is our duty to the next generation, right Shizune?”  
  
 _It’s what they would have wanted_.


	3. Crimson Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurenai waters her plants and is overwhelmed by unexpected emotions.

Red had always been her favourite colour.

The way it complemented her light skin tone and went so perfectly well with the colour of her eyes. She would always apply just the right shade onto her lips to complete the look. Who said a shinobi couldn’t be ready for combat and be well dressed at the same time?  
Though, she wouldn’t be able to go on missions for the next couple of months if not to say years, she thought while a smile appeared on her face. It hadn’t been planed – neither had they been particularly careful. They’d agreed on letting fate decide what path was theirs to follow. And so, it hadn’t been too long before she’d started feeling dizzy now and then. Going to the doctor had only confirmed what she had already known deep down. A tiny life was growing inside of her; their baby, _his_ legacy. He had been so overwhelmed when she had told him and it was safe to say she hadn’t expected him to start crying. She had held him, his beard tickling her neck as his tears dampened her hair. Her heart had been fluttering, trying to cope with a feeling she had never felt before: a feeling that she could take on the world to protect what she loved, a love so heavy that her stomach felt like bursting. She loved him and he loved her and their love had multiplied and grown into another life. That night, she had experienced a side of him he’d kept hidden somewhere inside of him and she had _known_ they were meant to be. She had known, he was the best father to her child and an immense wave of gratefulness had washed over her, humbling her even more. What more could she ask for? She had found so much love, more than she could have ever imagined and she wanted to preserve it for as long as possible.

Her fingers danced over the surface of the cup she was holding. During this time she missed him even more, even though they’d always led a life like this. She blamed the hormones, taking control of her emotions and causing her to lose herself in irrational thoughts. Nowadays she was constantly on edge when he was away on a mission and the current situation didn’t make it any easier on her, instead adding fuel to a fire she was trying to supress. He had kissed her goodbye not long ago and told her to stay safe. She had made him promise to be careful, only slightly frowning when he’d brushed back her hair and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. Sometimes they didn’t need any words. He had asked her to take care of the flowers – including the one in her womb. It was something they’d constantly bicker about on friendly terms. While he was sure, she would give birth to a little king, her motherly instincts told her it would be a baby girl. They’d agreed on calling the baby _flower_ as long as they didn’t know the gender. It didn’t actually matter, it was just a joke between them. They loved their child anyways, even before it had seen the world.

Sighing, she set the cup down. Her glance wandered over to the balcony, her beautiful plants waiting for her to water them. A lot of people had praised her for her green thumb but really, it was the simplest thing on earth to take care of plants; at least she thought so. The key to keeping them alive and healthy was communication. The plant would tell you if it needed a change of place, more water, another diet – you just had to listen and pay attention to the signs of their needs. 

Sometimes she believed they were talking to her. Perhaps there actually was something magical about them, showing her somehow what the future held. It was silly and she had never told anyone about her thoughts except for him.

She watched as the water poured onto them gently, little droplets getting caught on the creaks of the leaves and slowly running down the petals which of course were red. He had gifted her the seeds one evening, knowing very well there was nothing she loved doing more than taking care of greenery. He had given them to her as he knew that would at least keep her slightly busy in this lone time. And maybe give her some company when he wasn’t able to.

As she was watering them, an uneasy feeling took hold of her. Her skin prickled and goosebumps started forming on her arms. She looked up, over to the many rooftops in front of her. Had someone been watching her? But as her eyes carefully scanned the open area, she could not make out anyone. Her gaze drifted down to the plants.

The droplets were dripping down the soft petals as if they were crying.

***

For some time now she hadn’t felt well. Fidgeting with her hands, she tried to remain calm. A heavy wind had come up and leaves were swirling around as if to represent the whirlwind of emotions that was spiralling inside of her. A tiny twig tapped against her window and her eyes fell on to the balcony. The plants she had cared for were being pulled into different directions because of the storm, almost ripping apart.

Her stomach clenched and her heartrate sped up. She rushed over to the window, pushing it open to inspect the damage. Crimson red petals were floating down, like a stream of blood. She shook her head. Why had that association crossed her mind? One of the flowers was still intact, the yellow core almost beaming against the grey sky. Just as she reached out her hand to feel the softness of the petals, a gush of air caused it to come off the stem. Her lips parted in surprise and she tried to grasp the crimson flower. Her fingers slightly grazed over the corolla and the petals fell apart as they spun higher and higher, making it unable for her to reach the flower.

She was left standing at her open window, wondering why she sensed a sudden dread tugging at her every nerve.  
For some reason, she felt as if she had lost something very valuable and close to her heart at that moment. Had anyone asked her why a storm and the loss of her favourite flowers left her feeling this way, she wouldn’t have been able to explain.  
Only later did she realise the crimson resembling the colour of blood.

 _Red had always been her favourite colour_.


	4. Chichi to haha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Itachi meets his parents again.

„Forgive me, Sasuke. There won’t be a next time.”

If life had granted him just one more wish, he would have asked for more time. But he knew the saying: life doesn’t give you what you want. It gives you what you need.

_Sasuke. Take care. I love you._

He didn’t feel the pain when his strength left him and caused him to stumble against the wall of solid rock.   
This was what he deserved. He had finally met the end he was destined to a long time ago. It couldn’t have been better. He was incredibly thankful for being able to meet his little brother face to face after such a long time. All these years his heart had ached for only this one person and now, right before his last breath, he had been able to witness the young, fine man his brother had become. He wished him all the best and hoped, his fiery hatred had succumbed. Itachi knew, his friends would take care of him, even if he hadn’t been able to. His smile never left his lips when the rhythm of his heart slowly faded.

***

His eyes had betrayed him long ago or rather, he had strained them so much that his sight had deteriorated over the course of time. He was surprised when he saw the light so clearly. It was bright, yet not blinding him, warm even, inviting him to come closer. When he tried to remember, only blurry feelings stirred in the back of his mind. _Where am I_? This place didn’t seem familiar, but somehow he felt safe for the very first time in years. Comfort was something which had belonged to his childhood, locked away with every memory of a past buried and marked as history.

“Welcome back, Itachi.”

 _That voice_. He knew it all too well. It had been the first voice to have spoken to him, the voice which had sung him to sleep in his early years, the voice that promised him comfort and home and _love_.

“ _Haha_ …”, his voice broke before he could speak more. Tripping over his own feat, years of precise foot training lost in an instant, he stumbled forward.

“Itachi. It’s good to see you.” _Chichi_.

Two strong arms caught his fall and embraced him in a tight hug. It had been so long since he had been held. Fugaku had never been one to show affection openly. Feeling the warmth of his father so close to him left his heart extremely heavy.

“ _Chichi to haha_ ”, broken sobs left his mouth as he tried to find the right words.

A smaller pair of arms snaked around him and he felt himself giving in and being cradled by his long lost and new found parents.

“Forgive me.”

“It’s alright, Itachi. We understand.”

In a soothing motion she wiped away his tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. He wouldn’t have traded his mother’s smile for anything in this world. How was he allowed to feel their love again after all the things he had done? After he had taken their lives?

“You did what you have to, son. We already forgave you back then, remember? Even if our philosophies differed, we were so proud to have you as our son.” He could feel the big hand of his father rubbing circles on his back.

“Itachi, you truly are a kind child.”


End file.
